Review of Punch-Drunk Love (2002) by Bob R — 28 Jan 2014

What a bizarre Romantic-Comedy-Drama this is. Star Adam Sandler plays completely against-type as Barry, an anti-social, introverted salesman in L.A. who after calling a phone-sex line gets himself and Lena (Emily Watson), who falls in love with him, in a lot of trouble.

That's about all there is to the plot. It leaves lots of room for Sandler to fill with his persona, which here is used to portray a lonely, pathetic man whose life is turned around by love. Anderson's directing is in arthouse mode, with plenty of long shots, occasional shaky cam action, and oddly placed lens flares. This gives the film an air of emptiness that Barry doubtlessly sees in the world around him and explains why mainstream audiences missed this one for the most part. The screenplay too is unusually crafted for this type of movie, and you're never sure what'll happen next.

As far as a villain goes, you have the owner of the phone service (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who sends hired goons to steal money from Barry, because "perverts pay the price." Hoffman owns the brief few scenes that he's in, and his and Barry's confrontation at the end has you at the edge of your seat. I only wish that Anderson would have written more scenes for him to be in.

I generally enjoyed the appreciation that Anderson has for the material and for Sandler as actor. Its surprising that Anderson could see such a sincere performance in someone who churns out insincere, formulaic comedies every year now.